Buchan prided himself on giving clients his full attention but it was hard no to let his mind wander as Hogg babbled away while fidgeting in his seat. Condemned men rarely show grace under pressure but Hogg’s reaction to the most grievous of predicaments was particularly pathetic.

“There must be something you can do!” he said to Buchan at the end of an interminable bout of self-pity. “Can’t you check The Book again? There has to be some way I can get out of this.”

Unfortunately for Hogg, there were no crumbs of comfort Buchan could throw at him. Hogg held a Q45 form in his hand and only the most inept of prosecutors could fail to secure the sentence that would banish the accused from Moristoun.

Clicking on the book’s cover image, will take you directly to its Amazon page..

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I think I would want to read on based upon these opening lines, but knowing as much as I already do about the book (thanks to Tracy’s review and your previous posts) I can definitely say I would. I feel sure this one will make it to my Kindle before too long.

“Emma was uncertain whether it was a growing need to visit the privy or the remaining queasiness of ‘mal de mer’, seasickness, that was making her feel so utterly dreadful.
– ‘The Forever Queen’ by Helen Hollick
(previously published in the UK as ‘A Hollow Crown’)

I am really waiting to find out the significance of ‘The Book’. I can’t make out whether it contains the laws of Moristoun, its code of conduct, or whether it is their version of a religious text. Either way, Hogg definitely sounds as though he has made a serious breach of protocol, although where they are going to banish him to, remains to be seen.
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Emma does sound a little naive and obviously hasn’t quite worked things out yet, although on checking out the premise for ‘A Hollow Crown’, which is slightly different to that of ‘The Forever Queen’, her marriage doesn’t exactly sound as though it was a match made in heaven. I particularly liked the header line with which Goodreads begins the premise of ‘The Forever Queen’ …

“What kind of woman becomes the wife of two kings, and the mother of two more?”

…. I would have said, a very strong and determined one!! I also prefer the cover art of this alternative title.

Whilst this may not be one for me, I hope that you enjoy the read and should I decide to tag along at some point, at least this is the first book in the series 🙂

I had no idea it was a series until I looked it up at GoodReads! I’m enjoying it, but I don’t see myself continuing on anytime soon. I have too many other things to read. Still… it’s an interesting time in history and one I’ve not read much about.

I generally find that ‘Fantastic Fiction’ is a great site for keeping up to date with authors and their books, so I double checked there and actually can’t see that there is another book planned in this series, despite it being listed as book #1 everywhere else and having been originally written way back in 2010, so perhaps there has been a change of plan!

Well you had me researching more, too, and I did find a second book: ‘I Am the Chosen King’ Seems it was originally published in the UK under a different name, too: ‘Harold the King’. It follows chronologically and covers the Battle of Hastings. While I’m in no hurry to read it, I have added it to my wishlist at Amazon. 🙂

I think if you checked out the full premise, Hogg’s predicament might become a little clearer. However I am wondering just how bad things got for him to receive a Q45 form and what exactly the charge is against him!

Author Kevin McAllion has definitely come up with an interesting storyline and I am hoping the book gets to the top of my TBR very soon.

The cover of the book makes Moristoun look like quite an idyllic place, if a little isolated. However, I’m certain, just from reading the few excerpts I have shared so far, that everything is not as tranquil as it might seem.

If you check out Kevin’s great guest post, you will see that he has even managed to commit his vision of Moristoun to paper in a series of images …. I wish I had that kind of imagination!

I have to admit that this probably isn’t a book I would have chosen to buy for myself and it is only at the invitation of author Kevin McAllion, that I am taking a dip into the unknown, with this unique storyline and intriguing cast of characters.

The more features I write about ‘Moristoun’, the more I think I am going to enjoy it 🙂

I too, think that the cover art of ‘Moristoun’, is completely amazing. However this picture of beauty and tranquility, certainly belies what I have read of the story so far, so in this particular case I think that appearances can be deceptive!

First Lines

‘FEEL ME FALL‘ By James Morris I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They’re there all the time – and worse. Even my dreams aren’t safe. I have vicious nightmares, and they’re real – too real – and suddenly I’m back […]

Random Quote

I think writers have to able to enjoy solitude rather than just endure it. I’ve always enjoyed being left alone with my imagination, ever since I was a kid.